Earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford made good on his threat to yank all Yankee booze off the shelves of the more than 600 government-owned LCBO stores in the province.

As well, restaurants with liquor licences will not be permitted to order U.S. hootch either. This is especially sad: the hospitality sector was hammered during the COVID crisis; now this sector is being further impeded by political machinations.

Alas, the province’s chief cherry cheesecake enthusiast says he’s “standing up for Ontarians” when it comes to the ongoing tariff tussle between the U.S. and Canada.

WATCH: Doug Ford announces that the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) will begin removing all American products from its shelves. pic.twitter.com/Sq0rK3weCj

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 4, 2025

But a question arises: what is the logic in removing an estimated $1 billion worth of stock that has already been bought and paid for? And who is really being hurt here: U.S. liquor producers (that have already been paid for their merchandise) or the ever-beleaguered Ontario taxpayer that is footing the bill? (In addition to removing everything from Kentucky bourbon to California wines from shelves, all of these bottles had to be shipped to warehouses where the product will be stored for who knows how long. But hey, just put that on the taxpayer tab as well…)

Also, isn’t the premier playing with fire here? What if U.S. liquor stores decide to yank Canadian alcohol products from their shelves? The effect on Canadian producers would be devastating given that this industry exports far more liquor than what is consumed domestically.

In the final analysis, pulling bought and paid U.S. booze from LCBO store shelves makes absolutely no sense – unless the ostensible policy reason was all about Premier Ford engineering an opportunity to do some political grandstanding that might do more harm than good.

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